Quaternary Ecology: A paleoecological perspective / Edition 1

by P. Delcourt

Overview

Over the past several decades the field of Quaternary ecology has undergone a fundamental change in perspective. Paleoecologists, who were formerly concerned with biostratigraphic questions, have increasingly begun to develop and test explicitly ecological hypotheses. Literature emphasizing the contributions of paleoecology to contemporary issues in ecology is growing, but many of the key papers are published in journals not traditionally read by ecologists. The tendency toward increased specialization within ecology, along with the proliferation of new journals as publication outlets, increasingly makes it difficult to communicate effectively across sUbdisciplines within ecology. With this book, we hope to bridge the communication gap between Quaternary ecologists and other ecologists. In this book we do not attempt to cover the subject of Quaternary ecology in a traditional textbook presentation. Two comprehensive books, one contemporary text (Birks and Birks, 1980) and a handbook of techniques (Berglund, 1986) appropriate to various specialties within this field are available to the reader who is interested in the details of methods used in reconstructing past communities and ecosystems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780412297809
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	07/31/1991
Edition description:	1991
Pages:	242
Product dimensions:	8.27(w) x 11.69(h) x 0.24(d)

Table of Contents

1 The Paleoecological Perspective.- 2 Dispersal, Invasion, Expansion and Migrational Strategies of Populations.- 3 Plant Succession.- 4 Gradients, Continua and Ecotones.- 5 Factors that Structure Communities.- 6 Ecosystem Patterns and Processes.- 7 Applications of Quaternary Ecology to Future Global Change.- References.

Editorial Reviews

Examines ecological issues and controversies that can be approached fruitfully using paleoecological methods. Intended to complement, rather than replace traditional textbooks in undergraduate ecology courses and to serve as a text/reference for advanced courses. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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